Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- Two teams, Patrol Squadron 9 (Golden Eagles) and 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment (Kings of Battle) batted against each other as two nearly unstoppable forces at Riseley Field, resulting in a 14-13 win for the Golden Eagles, March 25. Both teams each have one loss, with the Kings of Battle recording its first loss March 25 after an early effort by the Golden Eagles, which they handed to each other.
“We got some revenge on them this time,” said Thomas St. Pierre, a catcher for the Golden Eagles and a native of Staten Island, N.Y. “We bore down on defense, and we just hit the ball hard.”
The Kings of Battle started the game on the offensive as players quickly filled the bases. The Golden Eagles constantly kept an eye out for anyone trying to sneak to the next base.
“We are a team that likes to steal bases, and we like to run,” said Andrew Whatley, coach and player for 1st Bn., 12th Marines and a native from Austin, Texas. “We have a lot of fast players on our team, so we choose to take that risk.”
As both teams changed positions on the field, the Golden Eagles jumped on the scoreboard quickly. Batters stepped up to the plate and hit the ball hard, giving teammates enough time to touch home base.
“We got our bats hitting the ball early in the game,” St. Pierre said. “It seemed like every time we swung the bat, we hit the ball hard enough to give us a point.”
Though the competition between both teams was fierce, several players were missing from both lineups. The Kings of Battle’s lineup worsened when one of its players sustained a knee injury while sliding to third base.
“We were missing four key players coming into this game,” Whatley said. “We did the best we could with what we had left, but we still played a heck of a game.”
Coming into the fifth inning of the game, the Kings of Battle were behind by several points and, with the clock ticking, they needed to plant more points on the board. The Kings of Battle quickly sent balls flying down the field and filled the bases with players. Hit after hit, the Kings of Battle almost tied the game.
The Golden Eagles were able to keep the Kings of Battle from scoring any more points by quickly getting the outs they needed to finish the fifth inning. The Golden Eagles were up only by one point with a score of 14-13, and the game ended at 9 p.m. due to the regulated time limit.
“They played a great game even without some of their players,” St. Pierre said. “We played harder than they did, and at the end of the game it paid off.”
The Golden Eagles were excited to get the win against the Kings of Battle and are eager to go all the way this year.
“It felt really good to win this game,” said Jake Allen, coach and player for VP-9 and a native of Norwood, N.C. “We look forward to making the playoffs and winning the championship this year.” (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg)